Category: Uncategorized

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 20:1-21:15, John 9:1-41, Psalm 113:1-114:8, Proverbs 15:15-17

Daily Verse: “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.” Prov. 15:17

Spiritual outweighs material.

“The kids will remember the love, not that we struggled to pay our bills,” said my friend. Years ago, one of my lifelong friends lived paycheck to paycheck early in her marriage with two young kids. Starting a family stresses parents financially, but I have never forgotten her wise words.

And now, her kids, both newly married and starting their own families, only remember the love. They have yet to learn how hard their parents worked to provide for them during those early years. But I do. Not only did they teach their children, but they also taught me about life, love, and priorities.

Happy, loving relationships far outweigh a steak dinner. Meals last for a moment but love last forever. Jesus set an example for us, showing us how to love God and others through faith. Creating a spiritual legacy by living our beliefs far outweighs any material possessions.

Stay focused on Jesus and build a spiritual legacy of love. The things of this world will pass away, but the loving relationships built on Christ will last forever.

Lord, forgive us for focusing on the wrong things. Help us build spiritual legacies of love that long outlive us. As You provide our earthly needs, let us share our blessings with others, creating solid relationships with You and others. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 18:5-19:24, John 8:31-59, Psalm 112:1-10, Proverbs 15:12-14

Daily Verse: “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.” Prov. 15:13

Joy and sorrow.

Cheerful faces express joy; sorrowful ones don’t. Deep emotions express themselves through our body language. Hiding what lies beneath the surface doesn’t always work.

“It can’t be that bad,” the stranger said, walking past me while I worked. Startled, I didn’t realize my facial expression revealed so much about my inward emotions. Tired after a long day of travel and hours spent re-merchandising the men’s Nautica shop in one of my largest stores, the exhaustion showed on my face. To this day, I still remember that moment and all it taught me.

Our faces reveal more than we think. According to experts, body language represents 70-93% of our body language. Look beyond people’s words and pay attention to their nonverbal communication.

Rejoice with those who rejoice and grieve with those who grieve. Share in people’s journeys. Join them in their joy and sorrow as you become more alert to their body language.

Cheerful or sorrowful, God cares for all.

Lord, forgive us for missing out on people’s expressions. Help us become more alert to body language, allowing us to join the celebration or share in the suffering. Let us connect with people as we engage in their joys and sorrows. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 17:1-18:4, John 8:21-30, Psalm 111:1-10, Proverbs 15:11

Daily Verse: “Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord; how much more the hearts of the children of man!” Prov. 15:11

Divine omniscience.

According to Expositor’s Bible Commentary of the Old Testament, Sheol and Abaddon represent the remote underworld. Whatever lies in the darkest depths of the universe, God knows its contents. As Creator, the Lord knows everything about everything, all the unknowns we wander about in life; God has the answers.

And if the Lord knows everything, He knows our heart’s motives. God knows the intention behind our actions, whether we do it for Him or ourselves. Sometimes, we don’t even realize our true intention, but God does.

‘Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Cor. 9:7

How you give exposes motives. God doesn’t want us to give with a resentful heart or strings attached. Mimicking Christ means giving cheerfully, without resentment, purely out of love. God knows our hearts better than we do. You can’t full the Creator.

Allow God to search your heart and motives. Let Him purify your intentions.

Lord, forgive us for our wrong intentions. Thank You for purifying our hearts and helping us become more like Jesus. Reveal to us any bad intentions and give us the right motives as we pursue You.  Let us honor and serve You well today. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23, John 8:1-20, Psalm 110:1-7, Proverbs 15:8-10

Daily Verse: “The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness.” Prov. 15:9

Acceptable conduct.

God knows our imperfections and how easily they can sway us. Despite our human flaws, the Lord wants us to try and do the right thing, and He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us pursue righteousness.

 Pursuing wickedness doesn’t take much effort. During the stress of my recent health crisis, I became snappy with Ron as I dealt with the trauma. Thankfully, he pointed out my issue with love, realizing the pain I felt caused my short temper.

“It’s really hard to face the truth about your own behavior. As long as we’re making excuses for something, we can’t get free from it. Sometimes we need to face the truth with ourselves to grow.”  Joyce Meyer

Accepting our imperfections helps us pursue righteousness. The more we become comfortable with our ugly parts, the more we can give them to Jesus. Submitting our lives to Christ turns ashes into beauty as we become more like Him. Pursue righteousness by owning faults, giving them to the Lord, and allowing Him to lead our actions.

Lord, forgive us our faults. Please surround us with people who will lovingly point out areas we need to own and grow. Help us get free from our past, moving forward in truth as we become more like Jesus. Let us pursue righteousness wholeheartedly. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 14:1-52, John 7:31-53, Psalm 109:1-31, Proverbs 15:5-7

Daily Verse: “A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.” Prov. 15:5

Show good sense.

How people respond to discipline reveals their character. Fools despise instruction, thinking they don’t need it. But prudent people understand they don’t know everything and have much to learn. Strong character accepts feedback and learns from it.

To fulfill our purpose, we must learn to accept feedback. Without constructive criticism, we can’t grow. Only when we accept our limitations can we find ways to overcome them. 

People who want the best for us will tell us the truth out of love like my husband does with me. When I ask him for feedback on my writing or handling of a situation, he gives me his honest analysis, which helps me learn and grow.

When taking instructions, always consider the source. Foolish people don’t give wise advice. If they consistently make poor decisions in their own lives, they won’t provide the best feedback for yours.

Accept instruction, stay humble, and hungry for wise advice.

Lord, forgive us for ignoring instructions. Please help us stay humble and hungry for wise directions. Let us fulfill our purpose on earth as we continue to grow our character through discipline and application of the directions we receive. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 12:1-13:23, John 7:1-30, Psalm 108:1-13, Proverbs 15:4

Daily Verse: “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” Prov. 15:4

Helpful or harmful.

Words can bring life or crush it. Not only does what we say matter, but how we say it carries weight. Words spoken truthfully but not couched in love can destroy relationships and cause irreparable damage. Another mistake I know all too well.

No matter how desperately we want to say something, if not done with the right heart and tone. Harmful words crush the spirit.

People tend to hear what they want to hear. Working in retail, I learned the compliment sandwich. Couch negative feedback between two compliments. For example:

“I love how hard you worked on this display. Adding more blue items into the middle would make it pop more. What a great use of your creativity.”

Learning to say hard things with love will help grow relationships and develop deeper connections. Jesus exemplified saying all things in love with a gentle tone. Following Him helps us learn to do the same.

Lord, forgive us for using harsh words. Please help us say only uplifting and encouraging things bringing life to those who hear them. Let our language help other’s Spirits thrive as we speak with love and grace. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 10:1-11:15, John 6:43-71, Psalm 107:1-43, Proverbs 15:1-3

Daily Verse: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Prov. 15:1

Gentle answers calm.

When in a tense situation, we choose our response. Each of us has the capability of controlling our thoughts and actions. A recent reel from Joyce Meyer made me stop and think. We can’t use negative experiences from our past as an excuse to respond poorly. God gives us the power, through Him, to react differently.

Accessing the Holy Spirit within us allows us to respond with a gentle answer. Remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross helps us have grace for others. Using harsh words causes pain, but responding gently reflects Christ and calms the situation.

If we want a gentle reply ready, we must stay connected to the vine. Only by developing our relationships with God will we respond with soft words consistently. 

Anger comes naturally to me, a programmed response. But letting Jesus lead helps me respond differently, leading with grace instead of harshness. Following Christ changes us, helping us become more like Him as we put into practice His teachings.

Respond gently and turn away wrath with kind words.

Lord, forgive us for our harsh words. As we follow Jesus, change us and help us become more like Him.  Let us become masters of responding softly, turning away wrath, and restoring relationships with love. Guide and direct our words as only You can. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 8:1-9:27, John 6:22-42, Psalm 106:32-48, Proverbs 14:34-35

Competent or incompetent.

Workers come in two categories, competent and incompetent. Wise servants delight their master; foolish ones don’t. During my manager days in retail, I had both on my staff.  

I never asked my staff to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. Nothing frustrated me more when someone didn’t follow directions, either not doing the task or doing it differently from my instructions. Looking back, having employees helped me develop grace and learn better communication skills. Often, if the job didn’t get completed the way I wanted, the employee didn’t understand my directions, meaning I didn’t communicate clearly.

God gives us directions for living our lives. Repeatedly the Lord tells us what to do, and He sent Jesus to provide us with an example. Becoming competent servants for the Lord means following Christ closely. 

Serving God well means understanding His commandments. Daily communication with the Lord helps us become competent servants as we follow Jesus’ example and become more like Him.

Lord, forgive us for not listening to Your instructions. As we seek You daily, give us eyes to see and ears to hear Your directions. Let us become competent servants for You as we follow Jesus and mimic Him.  Help us serve You well. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 5:1-7:17, John 6:1-21, Psalm 106:13-31, Proverbs 14:32-33

Daily Verse: “Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.^” Prov. 14:33

Folly among fools.

Wise people know when to speak. Fools blurt out answers, thinking themselves wise, but don’t have a clue, and it shows. Lord knows I’ve made this mistake before, and it hurts relationships.

“Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.” Prov. 17:28

Sometimes, wisdom shows itself by not speaking. If you don’t know, don’t say anything. Making up an answer to make yourself look wise will expose foolishness. No one knows everything, and smart people accept that fact, not acting as they do.

“Only God knows,” I often say when I don’t know something. No one has all the answers except for the Lord. Submitting to Him means becoming comfortable with not knowing everything and admitting it.

Fools babble with rash answers. Wisdom waits for the facts to unfold before concluding.

Lord, forgive us for speaking rashly. As we move through our day, let wisdom guide us, listening more than we talk. Help us to accept our lack of knowledge, deferring to Your wisdom. Lead us in Your ways, helping us become wiser every day. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22, John 5:24-47, Psalm 106:1-12, Proverbs 14:30-31

Daily Verse: “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.” Prov. 14:30

Benefit of contentment.

Envy brings turmoil; desiring what others have makes us not appreciate what we do have. Saying, “It must be nice…” indicates envy. “It must be nice to have a spouse, go on vacation, have a new car….”  Without contentment, jealousy can consume us. 

Gratitude defeats contentment. Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, focus on what you do have. Don’t compare yourself to the things on your social media timeline. Photos don’t tell the whole story.

Looking at a friend’s happy family photo sparked envy. But later, when talking to her, I discovered the turmoil behind the image and realized that pictures lie. When I see things in my timeline, I remind myself that I only see a moment, not the entire story.

Develop an attitude of gratitude by listing the blessings God’s placed in your life. Rejoice at other people’s good fortune instead of envying it. Tranquil hearts come with contentment, giving life to your bones, but envy causes decay.

Lord, forgive us for envying what others have. Help us focus on our blessings, developing an attitude of gratitude for all You do for us. Let our hearts become tranquil, giving life to our bones. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear Your good works. IJNIP. Amen